Brewers of Indiana Guild hosted Winterfest this past Saturday and hubby and I were lucky to get tickets to the sold out event. Held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, we knew there were going to be a lot of people craving some craft beer, and we were two of them. The event began at 3:00 pm for general admission (if you purchased a VIP ticket, you got in at 2:00pm) and hubs and I were in line ready to indulge. We met up with a variety of friends throughout the day, including some of the Hoosier Beer Geeks and ladies of Sun King Brewing. We began in the middle and sampled many of the beverages on hand. There were some great, some good, and some eh products out there - but of course, that is all about your own preference.
The place was busy and everyone was cheerful, nosing their way through 2 oz. pours and jumping from brewery to brewery for a taste. The winter beer garden outside was a slight cluster, so we didn't stay out there for too long except to grab a taste of Bell's Hopslam Ale. We tried many of the 150+ brews that were available, a few that really stood out to me were:
- Buffalo Mac (Bourbon Barrel Aged Scottish Ale) - Sun King Brewing
- El Gallo Negro (Black IPA) - Sun King Brewing
- Johan the Barleywine (English Barleywine) - Sun King Brewing
- Vinny's Pumpkin Ale - Turoni's Main Street Brewing
- Kellerweis (Hefeweizen) - Sierra Nevada
- Bitter Woman IPA - Tyranena Brewing Company
- Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale - Kentucky Ale
There were many others, as well as some I didn't care for. In addition, many of the homebrewer clubs were also presenting their beers. And of course, pretzel necklaces and food were also being sold to curb any appetite.
Props to HBG (I think it was Rodney?) for an amazing program - I was impressed not only with the layout, which I completely built my game plan around prior to arrival (thank you for posting early!), but also with the print quality. A great souvenir to reference what we enjoyed and what we probably won't be tasting again.
Thank you to everyone who put on this amazing event. Looking forward to the summer months when it is a bit warmer and we can continue to enjoy brews together. Oh, and of course, I'm looking forward to the HBGCBMTCBL this Spring!